


Make a beast of me

by Kendrene



Series: This Quaint Old Wolf Town [1]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Werewolf, F/F, Fluff and Smut, Human Lena Luthor, Just a dash of angst, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Werewolf Kara Danvers, idiots to lovers, once a rut werewolf cock
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:34:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25766776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kendrene/pseuds/Kendrene
Summary: When Lena discovers an injured wolf inside her property, she does the one sensible thing and takes it home to tend its wounds. Little does she know the wolf is, in fact, a drop-dead gorgerous werewolf.
Relationships: Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor
Series: This Quaint Old Wolf Town [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1869259
Comments: 98
Kudos: 1541





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> More werewolf shenanigans! This is just a two chapter adventure, but I'm fond of the verse so I may write more of it.

“I’m not sure this is a good idea.” 

They were sat next to the fireplace, but despite the little distance separating them, managed to appear on two sides of a fence. 

“Kara.” Lena set her cup of tea aside and leaned forward, elbows planted on her knees, gaze never leaving that ocean blue stare. “I am here, am I not? I didn’t run when I realized what you were, and I won’t run now. From the way you’ve described it, spending your rut—” Lena stumbled a little over the word. “Well, spending it alone sounds like torture. I’m freely offering to help.” She paused and licked her lips, a familiar sense of warmth coiling in her belly. Her voice had dropped an octave as she spoke, to a low, sandpapery tone. Kara seemed to have noticed too, because her eyes darkened to the color of an evening sky. 

“You’ve done so much for me already, Lena, I’d never ask a friend to—” 

“You’re not.” Lena cut her off, heart in her throat. “As I said I’m offering. And maybe—” She snatched her mug back up, suddenly flushed. “Maybe I want to be more than friends with you.” Lena blurted in a rushed exhale, chasing the words out of her mouth with a sip of tea. It went down too fast and the wrong way, making her sputter. 

When she could breathe again without coughing, Kara was staring at her with eyes as big as saucers, fingers frozen in the act of plucking a marshmallow out of her hot cocoa.

“You do?” Her voice sounded weirdly high. 

“Yeah.”

“Really?”

“Yes.” Lena let out a nervous chuckle. “I think I might be in love with you Kara. And I think I might have been for a long time, too.”

It had been more than a year since strangely reserved Kara had moved into the small cottage at the far end of her street, and many months since Lena had found a wolf, injured and bleeding, in the woods behind her property. It took only hours to figure out they were one and the same, the sleeping wolf sprawled in the middle of her living room, returned to its human form the next morning. If there was still any doubt in Lena’s mind about the circumstances, it was dispelled the moment a panicked Kara had tried to stand up, only for her wounded leg to give out under her weight. 

“Uhm, Kara?” She said now, when it became obvious that the werewolf’s brain had gotten stuck after she’d heard Lena’s confession. “Honey, you’re dripping.” Kara made a strangled sound, cheeks heating up, and Lena had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. “Your cocoa. It’s dripping everywhere.”

“Oh.” Kara blinked and stared down at her fingers. “ _ Oh _ .”

She popped the marshmallow in her mouth, tongue darting out to lick at the hot chocolate snaking its way down her hand, and Lena nearly groaned. 

She quickly averted her eyes, and fussed with the teapot on the coffee table, doing her best to ignore the heat blazing a trail of fire down her spine. 

Her mind was little help. It had readily conjured an image of Kara sucking her fingers clean after they had been between her legs, and no amount of willing it away would make it fade. 

“You may be in love with me.” Kara repeated in a daze. She’d finished her drink and acquired a brown mustache in the process. Lena ached to close the distance and clean it up with a kiss, but Kara had yet to tell her how  _ she  _ felt — one way or another. 

“I’ve loved you since you found me wounded in the snow.” Kara admitted when the silence between them had become at once heavy and fragile. She was turning her empty mug this way and that, as though frowning down at it would make more hot cocoa appear. “I remember smelling you and finding no trace of fear in your scent.” 

Kara was doing her a kindness. The evening they’d met was branded so deeply in Lena’s mind she doubted she ever could forget it. She cast her thoughts back to it now, and the two things that first came to her mind were the coldness of the air and the pool of Kara’s blood tinging the snow a shade of livid purple in the fading light of dusk. 

Even now Lena could not fathom how she’d managed not to scream. Her property was one of the biggest in the neighborhood, part of it but on the fringes just like the cottage Kara lived in. The house itself was big enough that Lena sometimes felt somewhat lost inside it, like the last cookie rattling inside of the jar, but it’s selling point had been the woods that came with it. 

It was a tangle, the realtor warned her, a near impenetrable forest save for a few footpaths, but all it took Lena to fall in love with it was one look at the pines — of a green so deep it neared obsidian black under overcast skies — to fall in love with it. 

She’d been walking along the treeline when she’d heard a rustle. Then a whimper. It had come from among the trees, and even though it was already too dark to venture in the forest — night had an abrupt way of falling at these latitudes she was not used to yet — the sound was so wretched she’d felt compelled to investigate. Off of the well packed pathways she’d dug in the snow during her hikes, the powdery blanket came up to her knees. It was slow going, with night descending fast and nipping at her heels, but the noises, which were growing closer and more desperate, pushed her on despite the burning in her muscles.

The wolf, when she came across it, had been massive. A primal fear had swelled inside her gut, immediately cooling down to glass. A weight that made it impossible to move, that had Lena go numb from head to toe. It rendered her speechless, and even though she immediately saw what the problem was — the wolf’s hind leg had somehow gotten ensnared in a length of old barbed wire — her brain was stuck on abject terror. 

And then, the unthinkable had happened. The wolf had raised its head, scenting the air, and when those amber eyes had focused on hers they’d been pleading.  _ Human _ . 

The next sound the great beast made was a plaintive, pitiful whimper. It tugged at Lena’s heartstrings, and against her better judgment, she’d inched closer. 

“Stop that.” She’d croaked when the creature attempted to shake itself free, the barbs embedding further in its flesh. “You’re going to hurt yourself more.” In what had been just one of the many surprises in store for her that night, the wolf had stilled and let her touch it. 

As if it  _ understood _ .

“Do you remember the tourniquet you used?” 

Lena blinked herself back to the present to find Kara had drawn closer, her expression hesitant. “I know it’s silly, but I washed it and kept it.” The werewolf dug a folded piece of fabric out of the pocket of her jeans, and Lena immediately recognized the red flannel she’d torn up in a panic and pressed to Kara’s wound to try and stem the blood flow. “I keep it with me everywhere I go because…” Kara paused and chewed her lower lip. Her hair had fallen forward a little, a golden curtain that half obscured her face. It could not, however, completely hide the blush gracing her cheeks. “Because it reminds me of you.” 

The words left Kara’s mouth in a hushed, barely audible exhale, but Lena heard each one as though it had been shouted from a mountaintop. They hit right between her thighs, and filled the empty spaces of her heartbeat. Without thinking, she leaned forward — Kara was now close enough to kiss and so she did. 

The werewolf’s eyes rounded out as wide as they would go, but she didn’t pull away, sighing into Lena’s mouth and pressing closer with a hunger that betrayed her apparent reticence. 

As for Lena, she kissed with her eyes open, and when they met Kara’s stupor-filled ones she drowned and flew at the same time, caught in the place where ocean and sky merged and melted into one another. 

Flecks of gold danced deep in the blue of Kara’s eyes, like sunlight reflecting over open waters. 

Lena’s entire body came to a standstill. She forgot how to breathe, to function. How to  _ kiss _ . Everything she could see was beautiful, bottomless blue. 

Thankfully, Kara wasn’t having the same problem. She pressed a few light kisses to her lips, teasing them apart, and after Lena’s brain had regained at least some semblance of coherence, a warm tongue slipped into her mouth, sliding against hers. 

Kara kissed her like she was a puzzle she was determined to find the missing piece of — slowly and deliberate — logging every hitch of Lena’s breath for future reference. 

When they eventually broke apart, Lena was sure her eyes matched Kara’s for roundness.

“That was…” 

“Wow.” The rasp in Kara’s voice sent shivers cascading down her spine. 

“Yeah.” Wishing she’d made more tea, Lena cleared her throat. “So. About what I said…” 

“I mean…” It was adorable, the way Kara managed to shuffle even while seated. “I’d like that, of course. I never hoped—” She paused and ran a hand through her hair, mussing it up. “But you don’t know what you’re offering. During my ruts I… Lena I don’t know if I can be in control and I certainly don’t want to end up hurting you.” 

“Then tell me what I should expect,” Lena took one of Kara’s hands in hers and continued undeterred. “So it doesn’t happen.”

***

Lena had never seen Kara shift before. 

She’d hadn’t really seen her in wolf form either, not after that first fateful night the werewolf had spent curled next to her fireplace all shuddery and snow-damp, her injured leg stretched at an awkward angle while Lena patched her up. 

Kara was nothing if not private and she was  _ careful _ . She had to be, if she wanted to live undercover among humans. Lena assumed that there were others of her kind somewhere out there in the world, and if werewolves existed so must werewolf hunters. At any rate, she didn’t doubt that — should Kara’s secret out — even lovely Mrs. Hendricks, the widow who lived a few houses down and liked to bake for the whole block, would grab for the pitchfork. 

But Kara being careful and reserved didn’t mean Lena hadn’t  _ tried _ . 

At first, when Kara hadn’t known what to make of her kindness and apparent lack of fear, she had avoided her. It didn’t matter where they would cross paths; the farmer’s market or the only CVS in town. The public park, where all the other dogs fiercely barked ony to shirk away at a frown whenever Kara went there jogging. They’d see each other, their eyes would meet across a mound of fresh vegetables or the supermarket’s icecream section and the girl who Lena now knew was a werewolf would do a double take and run away before Lena could approach. 

It was a little different when she went for her hikes. Perhaps it was because Kara felt more at ease inside the forest, or maybe the little signs she left behind were meant to be found by Lena specifically. A tuft of copper colored fur here, claw marks on a trunk. A pawprint in the mud. It helped that there was an actual pack of wolves roaming the nearby mountain range, and a sign of their passage was rarely a newsworthy thing. 

Then, one day, Lena had come across a fresh kill. 

The hare had been brought down swiftly, the place where wicked teeth had closed to snap its neck was clearly visible. Lena couldn’t say what made her so sure it had been Kara’s work and not an actual wolf’s — she had long learned to not question her instincts. She’d searched around, but there was no sign of the wolf save for a spot where the grass stalks had been bent by a great weight. It must have been disturbed by something, but Lena doubted very much it was her doing. She’d come across the dead hare all too suddenly, and the woods around her had been quiet, but not silent in the way they got right after witnessing a kill. 

She’d buried the proof of Kara’s wolfish existence quickly and returned home, stomach too upset to continue on her walk. It had been grisly if simple work, and she’d had the impression a reek of death persisted on her hands no matter how thoroughly she scrubbed them. 

Their awkward ballet of avoidance had continued.

“I’m not moving out of town.” Lena had declared one day, finally fed up with the entire thing. It was ludicrous. Ridiculous and stupid. She was tired of the charade. 

She’d shown up on Kara’s doorstep unannounced at 6am, with black smudges the size of lunar craters beneath her narrowed eyes after another night spent staring at the ceiling. Wondering if the wolf was running through her property that very minute.

“Wha— Uh?” Kara was still partially asleep, eyes dimmed and gummed half-shut. “What are you talking about?” 

“We can’t go on like this. Avoiding one another. The town’s small and I’m tired of you jumping like you’ve seen a ghost everytime you catch me buying tampons at the CVS.” 

“I think we should talk this over with some coffee.” Kara had opened the door a crack to let her in, but the gap was small enough Lena had to brush up against her front in order to do so. There had been a weird look in the werewolf’s eyes — a look of challenge — and Lena couldn’t help that her elbow caught against Kara’s ribs as went by.

She  _ really _ couldn’t.

“Why?” Kara asked sometime later, rubbing at the sore spot on her side when she thought Lena wasn’t looking. They were sitting in her kitchen, mugs of steamy coffee in their hands and a plate of macadamia cookies in the middle of the table. 

“Why what?” 

“The hare. I came back to get rid of it and I saw it had been buried.” Kara took a sip of coffee and wrinkled her nose. “Your scent was everywhere. Why did you help?” 

“For the same reason I helped the first time. Looked like you could use it.”

“I don’t believe you.” Kara thrust her chin in Lena’s direction, arms crossed over her chest. 

“Tough shit.” Lena smirked and popped one of the cookies in her mouth. 

Kara had glared, an entire storm bottled in one gaze. 

“The real question is why you’d kill anything so close to town.” Lena continued, tongue darting out to lick the cookie crumbs stuck to her fingertips by sugar. She was too engrossed in Kara’s answer to note the way the werewolf’s eyes had softened, following the path her tongue took. 

(besides, they were pretty good cookies) 

“I was hungry, okay? And the hare was right there, but then I heard some people traipsing nearby and I thought they’d see me so I hid.” 

“Well,” Lena relaxed back in her chair, slightly mollified. “since I cheated you out of your dinner why don’t you come over tonight? I’m a decent cook.” 

She’d reached out across the table, hand extended toward Kara. 

The werewolf stared at it like it could bite, then peered in Lena’s face, looking for what, she wasn’t sure. Her eyes darted back and forth several times, and all the while Lena willed herself to be stock still, the friendliest smile that she could muster stamped across her lips. 

In the end, Kara’s calloused fingers had closed around her own and their friendship was well and truly started. 

One thing the legends about werewolves left out; the best way to befriend one was through their stomach.

(specifically via lasagna) 

***

She was thinking of all that and more while she waited for Kara to show up. 

They’d decided Lena’s house — being away from the others — was the safest place for it and she had spent the day preparing it accordingly. 

The back door was left unlocked, and they were afforded the gift of a cloudy night. The moon would shine through the dark, rolling clouds now and then to cut the night to ribbons, but the air held the kind of chill that promised a fresh coating of snow atop the ground come morning. It would be the first of the winter, but soon enough the sleepy town of Midvale would be buried underneath it and severed from the rest of the world until the spring.

Lena tossed and turned atop her bed. Knowing Kara wouldn’t come until the moon was high up in the sky, she’d done her best to sleep a little, but failed. Her fitful dreams were filled by soft fur and flashing teeth — by Kara’s mouth latched around her breasts, and Kara buried deep inside her. 

After a few hours of that torture she had given up, too excited to relax, and had contented herself with marking the passage of time by measuring the length of the shadows moonlight cast across her bed when it decided to show up. 

The window had been left open too, and she was glad for her foresight. She lay naked under the duvet, but despite the drafts sweeping her room, didn’t feel cold. She was damp down at the crux of her thighs, drifting thoughts fueling her desire. Every now and then her hand meandered too, and Lena touched herself until the cusp of her release, only to let herself down slowly on the wrong side of it. 

No amount of wind would be able to dispel the musky scent of sex that coated every surface. 

When Kara did finally appear, it took Lena some time to notice her. 

The moon was playing hide-and-seek behind a cloud, the room was dark — the fire that had been roaring in the small pellet stove long since extinguished to nothing — and shapes were naught but darker lumps among a sea of shadow. 

She was almost dozing when it happened — a sudden chill that was not due to the wind, her body goosebumped from head to toe — bolting her awake and sitting up. 

The heels of her hands dug into her eyes until all she could see were bursts of color, like fireworks exploding in her head, and only when she let them fall onto her lap did she notice that one of the shapes was  _ moving  _ toward her.

Still, she doubted what her eyes were seeing for a moment. Her vision swam with ghostly afterimages when she blinked, and even though her eyes were starting to adjust, the room hadn’t lost its murky quality. She was teetering at the edge of a dream — or a nightmare — in the no-man’s-land between deep sleep and full awareness. The residual warmth radiating from the spot where she had rested was trying to pull her under, the bed turned to an inky sea and she into a ship, hull broken to the waves and taking water. But something, like the sliver of light filtering through the gap beneath a door, kept her alert and wondering what kind of thing was lurking in the corner where her eyesight could not pierce and shadows gathered. 

“Kara?” She called, starting to question her decision when no answer was forthcoming. 

The moon chose to show its silver face right then, bathing the bedroom in eerie, otherworldly light. 

Everything went from blurriness to stark relief so fast Lena could scarcely process it. Details flooded her senses before she could process them, but when she managed to refocus she saw it.

No. Not it.  _ Her _ . 

Kara.

The copper colored wolf was big. Bigger than she’d thought. It stalked her way on long, powerful legs, all signs of the old injury now gone. A few paces from the bed it paused, and after having scented the air once, it licked its chops. 

“Kara?” 

The duvet had fallen away, leaving her breasts bare, and Lena became conscious of the way the wolf was looking at her breasts. Keen and panting softly. All too human. 

“Kara, can you understand what I’m saying?” 

The wolf took another step, hind legs bent beneath it, belly low to the hardwood floor as though ready to attack. 

Its fur gleamed wetly in the pale light of the moon — a clear indication that snow had started to fall. The scent Lena detected, however, was not the stink of the mangy dog or of an unclean kennel. It was pervasive, true, just as much as the musk of her own slick cunt, but not unpleasant. 

It was an earthly scent; resin and snow and the rushing water of a stream. Lena was reminded of the night that they had met, fingers tingling with the recalled sensation of Kara’s thick fur. It had been unbelievably soft where she expected coarseness, and it took all of her willpower not to give into temptation and give the injured wolf a belly rub. 

At the time, while she believed the creature on her living room rug to be a regular wolf — not that there was anything ordinary about having a wolf inside one’s house — the thought a wrong move may cost her a hand had kept her from being stupid. 

Now that she found no trace of the woman she knew in the yellow eyes pinning her to the bed, Lena wondered whether it still might. Or perhaps cost her even more than that.

“Kara, please it’s me. It’s Lena.” She was tasting her own fear now, and what a bitter medicine it was. Bile gurgled up her throat, acidic and disgusting, curdling on her tongue. Lena did her best to swallow it back down and calm her heart, but the organ in her chest would not listen to reason. It beat and beat and  _ beat  _ until Lena had to press a hand over it for fear it would just crack her ribs and tumble out of her. 

Equally devastating was the realization that ray of sunshine, puppy-like Kara — the girl who could eat her way through Lena’s fridge in one swift sitting, who’d fall asleep curled on the couch and twitched when she dreamt of chasing prey in wolf form — was but a distant cousin to the creature advancing on her now, full of deliberate intent. 

Slowly, eyes never leaving the wolf’s blue-flecked amber ones, Lena grabbed the piece of fabric Kara had given her once she had agreed to spend the rut with her. 

It was the tourniquet, a bit frayed at the edges for having spent so much time in Kara’s pockets, and she stretched a hand forward, like she was making an offer to some wild, inscrutable god. A token given by the fair maid to the knight before he waded into peril — except Lena was the one in mortal danger this time round. 

“Kara remember me,  _ please _ .” 

The words left her in a sob just as the wolf snarled loud and sudden, barrel-like chest shaking with the violence of it. 

The growl cut out abruptly, as if a switch had been thrown inside the wolf. Kara stood on quivering legs and watched her, ears plastered to her skull and teeth laid bare. Clear strands of saliva hung from her maw, and she held her bushy tail upright, making herself look even bigger. 

They stared at one another for what felt like an entire age, and thinking she was making some sort of progress, Lena lowered her hand.

That was when the wolf gathered itself and leapt for her. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena helps Kara through the rut. Midvale may hide more than Kara's secret.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's part two! Enjoy! I may write more of this verse- let me know if you are interested. 
> 
> \- Dren

Teeth closed around her throat, and her lungs froze. She laid under the wolf, utterly immobile, waiting for the moment her flesh would be torn open like paper, terrified to feel the warm rain of her own blood showering her face. 

When that didn’t happen, and after the clutch of fear had eased off of her thoughts, Lena realized it wasn’t teeth she felt around her neck, but fingers. The heel of a warm palm resting right where her pulse beat closest to the surface. The hand wasn’t squeezing, merely holding, as though Kara was scared too. That she would scream, or fight her off and try to bolt.

(admittedly, Lena had come close to all three things.) 

Next, she registered Kara’s ragged breathing. It came in puffs of humid air against her cheek, and when the hand was moved fractionally lower, Kara’s nose pushing against her heartbeat, Lena understood the big bad wolf was scenting her. The act was incredibly intimate. Arousing

It had been too dark for her to see Kara shift back to human form and she regretted it. It must have been unbelievably fast. She’d still been half asleep when the werewolf had appeared, but Lena was sure of what she’d glimpsed thus far. That a wolf could turn back into a woman in the space of one short jump… she had wondered what manner of things Kara was able to do, but this far exceeded everything she had imagined. 

But Lena yearned to see — nearly as much as she ached to touch the muscled body pressing her down into the mattress — and since her hands were free, she threw a hand out toward the night table and turn the small reading lamp on. 

As soon as the buttery glow of a low voltage light bulb drenched the room in gold Kara leapt away, and crouched in the corner farthest from it, where a bit of shadow still remained. 

“Hey.” Lena called softly, hand outstretched. “It’s alright.” While some of her fear still lingered, like a clammy blanket wrapped too tightly around her chest, the light helped. However, it seemed that Kara was afraid of it. Or rather, of what it would reveal. “Kara, please. Let me look at you. I want to see you.” 

It took some more coaxing, but eventually, the werewolf edged closer. She crawled across the room, head held low, and carefully avoided Lena’s eyes. Even after she had been convinced to stand, hands twitching as though she was torn between showing off and covering her nakedness, she kept her eyes stubbornly averted. 

Her hair tumbled down her shoulders in a wheat-colored waterfall, damp from the snow, and her eyes, even if she kept them turned away from Lena’s face gleamed like coins, gathering the light. 

Her body gleamed with perspiration brought on by the change in temperature, or perhaps her rut, and her muscles stood out in stark relief, painfully defined. Lena’s gaze travelled down the sculpted ladder of her abdominals without shame, slid over her obliques, and when despite Lena’s best effort it dropped down to the tangle of dark blonde hair at the crux of Kara’s thighs, she felt her face burn. 

And not only that. 

Kara had warned Lena about the changes the rut would bring to her body, but word didn’t — well, simple words couldn’t do justice to what she was seeing. 

Some things were subtle, like the change in eye color and the narrow strip of auburn fur that began right under Kara’s taut stomach to end among her pubic hair. Her teeth looked sharper too, the canines wicked and pronounced, and her ears definitely appeared more… the one term that came to Lena’s mind was  _ lupine _ . Yes, definitely lupine — she wondered what reaction Kara’d have if she scratched behind them. 

But none of these changes caught Lena’s attention as thoroughly as her cock, even if she did feel flashing disappointment when it became apparent Kara didn’t keep a wolf’s tail when in anthropomorphic form. 

She did her best not to be too obvious about her fascination, but Kara caught her staring, and with an agonized whine, began to turn away. 

“Don’t.” Lena spilled from the bed without thinking, and just as quickly was in Kara’s space, a hand running up her spine. It was dangerous, since she didn’t know how the werewolf would react, but the obvious vulnerability in Kara’s mannerism ached to be soothed. “Don’t hide. We… I will turn off the light if it makes you uncomfortable, but I’d like to…” She inhaled and held her breath a moment, feeling herself grow wetter as the confession rolled off of her tongue. “I want to see everything as you fuck me.” 

There was a sharp intake of breath.

"You haven't changed your mind?" Kara's vocal chords had thickened, making her sound gravel-rough. Lena shivered, the low rumble emanating from somewhere deep in Kara’s chest doing a number on her insides. 

“Why would I?” Lena breathed against the cap of Kara’s shoulder, watching goosebumps rise to the surface of her skin where her lips had brushed. She couldn’t stop stroking Kara’s back. Aside from the strip down her stomach and the ears, no other patches of fur were visible, but her skin had a velvety quality to it, as though pelt could push through at any moment. Her efforts were greeted with more rumbles, merging into one continuous vibration. Tension ebbed away from Kara, and she closed her eyes, head dipped to nuzzle in Lena’s hair. The noise she was making was too deep to be a purr — Lena had the feeling the werewolf would take offence if she called it that — but it radiated contentment. It was calming for her too, and when she tried to add the scratching of her blunt nails to the massage, Kara groaned and pushed against her. 

Her cock, now fully erect, scraped against the flare of Lena’s hip, leaving a trail of precum in its wake, and they came apart with a shared gasp. Kara’s eyes were round, a sunset sea Lena promptly fell into. 

“S— sorry, I didn’t mean—” It was weird to hear such a powerful creature stutter and see her blush, but on the other hand it helped Lena reconcile the snarling wolf that had so badly frightened her with the adorable dork she was falling more in love with everyday. 

“Don’t apologize.” She took the werewolf by the hand and began leading her toward the bed. Kara followed, stumbling a little over her own feet as though dazed. “There’s nothing to change my mind about, Kara.” She resumed once they’d gotten to the bed, Kara holding back shyly. “I like everything about you.” 

“I could smell your fear.” The werewolf muttered, unconvinced. “And hear it in your heart beat.” 

“I admit that having you growl and leap that way was a bit frightening.” Lena conceded, thumb running back and forth across Kara’s knuckles. She felt her tense, and thought her words would cause her to pull back, but instead, Kara’s fingers tightened around hers and she brought Lena’s hand to her lips, kissing it. 

“I lost control for a moment.” The words were pushed against her skin, with fervent, little kisses in lieu of punctuation. “I could scent your slick, even in the forest as I was hunting. It called me back here. You call to me in a way I thought no human ever could.” 

Lena had questions — were werewolves born or made, for example? — but she swallowed them all down, focusing instead on what Kara’d just said. 

“I call to you?” 

“Oh yes.” The werewolf’s eyes dropped shut again, as if the simple sight of Lena was too much for her to bear. Strong, gentle arms draped around her waist, pulling her into a hug, and as Kara’s hard shaft was trapped between them, they both sighed, but this time, neither of them pulled back. 

“You call to me all the time.” Kara pressed a kiss to the side of Lena’s head, and then another where her temple met her hair. “Even when you’re not around, I see you everywhere. The green of the trees is like that of your eyes, and sometimes I hear your voice in the murmur of the stream. A crow flying overhead reminds me of the color of your hair and—” Kara paused and pushed errant strands from Lena’s brow. “And I sound like an idiot, don’t I?” 

“Not at all.” It was difficult to climb into bed without letting go of Kara’s hand, but she managed, helped by the fact the werewolf climbed on it with her. “It’s very sweet, actually.” 

“Yeah?” 

“Yes.” Lena smiled, fingers curling around the hinge of Kara’s jaw. “Would you lie down and let me touch you?” 

“Touch me?” Even as she allowed Lena to guide her onto her back, Kara’s brows furrowed. “You mean—” Lena pointedly looked between her legs and licked her lips. “Oh. Oh, yes. Uhm. I’d like that.” 

“Good.” Lena dropped down on an elbow next to her, mouth inches from her lips. “Because I also want to taste you.” 

“Oh. Oh fuck.” Kara’s hips bucked, like she could already feel the warmth of Lena’s mouth around her shaft.

Lena wanted to explore every inch of Kara’s body, but her hands moved of their own accord, tracing the line of fur bisecting Kara’s abs, lower and lower to the base of her cock. The fur was even softer than she’d imagined when Kara had been in wolf form in front of her for the first time, so many months before, and she wondered whether she could convince her to shift later, just so that she could finally give her belly rubs. 

As though knowing what was coming next, Kara’s shaft gave a heavy twitch. It was thick, curving slightly toward her belly, and a lovely vein throbbed along its entire length in time with the beating of her heart. Lena’s hand creeped closer, and the werewolf’s gaze was a tangible weight, not leaving her even for a second. 

“Can I?” She stopped just shy of touching, and threw Kara a questioning look. The werewolf’s eyes had glazed over, and her mouth hung agape, revealing fangs that in the light of the lone night lamp glinted razor-sharp. 

“Yesss.” Kara’s hips jerked again, a very wolf-like whine leaving her mouth. “Please.” 

She didn’t have to ask twice. 

Lena made a fist around the base, marveling at the girth. Heat gathered in her loins as she realized how big Kara truly was, plus a sliver of unease. If Kara weren’t careful, it could really,  _ really _ hurt. 

“I’ll do my best to be gentle.” Kara’s hand covered hers, and they moved together up and down the shaft, staring while the tip leaked a constant stream of pre-cum. Fat, pearlescent drops that dewed the reddened head for a moment before dripping down and onto their hands. It made the gliding easier. “I’d never hurt you.” 

“Perhaps I’ll like a bit of pain once I have adjusted.” Lena smirked at Kara-s dumbfounded expression and bent down to kiss her. She only realized her teeth truly were as sharp as they looked when she nicked her tongue on one of Kara’s cruel incisors, pain spreading in rippling waves from the small cut. Her cry of surprise was gobbled down, her tongue soothed and sucked back into Kara’s mouth. The deep purr-like rumble picked up again, the edge of a growl now caught within it. 

“I need—” Kara broke the kiss with a strained gasp, grabbing Lena’s wrist, which was still working at a leisurely pace between her thighs, and using that as leverage to tilt her back into the bed. “I need—” 

The blood — a mere drop of it really — had robbed her of speech almost completely. She pinned Lena with terrifying ease, holding her down on the sheets by wrist and throat. 

Her body was a furnace, radiating heat, her kisses feverish and urgent. When Kara’s teeth closed around a stiffened nipple, tugging and sucking and lavishing it with attention as she rolled it into her mouth, Lena could only arch into her and moan, fingers scrabbling at her broad shoulders. The sensation of Kara’s teeth scraping her sensitive skin was at once rough and surprisingly gentle. Even in her frenzied state, she was careful not to pierce Lena’s flesh, her hands acting both as anchors and restraints while Lena writhed and shook.

She allowed herself to be consumed, and only partially regained her senses when Kara’s hands let go, sliding down her body to find the back of her thighs, She was spread, not unkindly, and her legs were canted into the sweat-soaked sheets, Lena’s ankles finding their natural place over each of Kara’s muscle-bound shoulders. 

The thickness of Kara’s throbbing cock brushed the inside of one thigh, prodded along her puffed, dripping labia, slipped and slid, pressing and pushing against the soft swell of her cunt in search of her opening. 

“Kara!” Lena called, voice loud enough it bordered on a scream. “Slow! Please, god, you’re so big. I can’t—” The werewolf’s ears twitched, flattened and perked back up as they processed Lena’s words. 

“Make you slick,” Kara ground out, grabbing her by the throat again. “Ready for me.” She was descending into her bestial state, and each word was warbled. Mangled and mauled, and it left her mouth in pieces. 

Kara’s other hand dipped down between their bodies, and for a moment, Lena thought she would be finger fucked. Instead, what followed were the obscene, slick noises of Kara’s pumping fist, cock bouncing and bobbing in her hand. All Lena could do was watch, neck straining against Kara’s chokehold, chest stuttering to a standstill as her lungs forgot to fill. It wasn’t Kara’s hand cutting off her airflow, rather the savage spectacle she was witnessing that punched all breath out of her. 

It didn’t take long for Kara to make herself come, and when she did, shaking and howling Lena’s name, the strip of fur along her belly widened, auburn fading to silver at her pelvis. She’d angled her shaft down, and the violent jets that resulted from her release hit Lena right between her open legs. Kara spent herself all over her cunt, cum hot and overflowing, her clit thrumming in response. She had little time to dwell on the sensation; Kara was still hard, and bearing down with her hips, shaft seeking her opening again. 

Their bodies wrapped and titled around the other, two ships colliding in the night and sinking down into the sea’s watery embrace. When she felt the flaring head of Kara’s erection press at her opening, Lena tried to slow her breath, to will herself to relax, but couldn’t. 

“Breathe.” The word was snarled into the hollow of her throat, followed by the feeling of sharp teeth trapping her pulse. A mark was sucked there, and it had an incendiary effect. Kara bore down with her hips again, Lena canted hers up, and then Kara thrust forward. Inside. 

The glide, thanks to the amount of seed even now pooling down between them, was near frictionless. It helped, as did Kara’s hands now cradling her like she was made of the finest glass and ready to shatter into a thousand pieces, but the stretch was painful. It burned, white flashes engulfing Lena’s vision, making her head swim, and she screamed, heels kicking weakly against the wingspan of Kara’s shoulder blades.

“Breathe.” Kara repeated at the corner of her mouth, before kissing her again, tongue swirling around hers, mapping every crease of her quivering lips as if Lena was a new territory to be explored and charted. Claimed. 

A few more inches sunk inside her, and after that she found it became a little easier to take. Kara was nuzzling her jaw, hips jogging forward whenever she felt Lena open for her thrusts a little more. 

All of a sudden, the sense of fullness disappeared, causing half-lidded green eyes to snap wide open. Kara had drawn back, and bowed utterly still over her body, then, just when Lena was wondering whether something was amiss, she buried forward, filling her to the brim. Their hips ground together, Lena’s ears ringing with the sound of wet flesh striking flesh, her body entirely overwhelmed. Her mouth contorted into something that was half between a sob and wrenching bliss, and she dug her fingers into the divots of Kara’s shoulders, hanging on for dear life as the werewolf rocked forward and back. 

Lena had never been filled this completely, she’d never felt such an onslaught of sensation. Her cunt fitted around Kara’s pulsing shaft like a perfect glove, so tight she could feel every little ridge pound against the flutter of her walls. Whenever the werewolf dragged herself back and almost out, Lena’s muscles involuntarily clenched down, trying to hold her in and milking her entire length in the process. 

“Breed you.” Kara huffed against her breasts, spine tensing and releasing with each stroke. Rivulets of sweat ran down her shoulders, and another strip of fur had erupted along her spine, thicker than what was on her belly. Lena couldn’t help herself; she flattened her palms along the planes of Kara’s back and ran her fingers over it, the werewolf’s hips snapping forth a little faster in response. “Gonna breed you,” Kara panted again, nipping purple marks over her collarbone. “Make you round with my come.” 

Lena found the idea beyond arousing. 

“Yes!” She moaned in encouragement. “Fill me up, Kara please!” 

The werewolf roared, a rock-hard knot of flesh rapidly swelling at her base.    
“ _ Take it! _ ” 

Lena would have never thought being pinned could be this much of a turn on, but when Kara’s jaw unhinged, only to snap shut around her throat and hold her there like an unruly, willful pup, Lena nearly came. 

The knot — Lena had no idea whether that was the right word for it, but she didn’t care — ground against her opening, bumping into her clit so insistently she squirted over it. That had never happened to her before, and the shock of it, combined with the rush of slick leaving her body, was enough to make her go completely slack in Kara’s hold. The werewolf’s snarl vibrated along her neck, layered by clear triumph, and the knot nudged a tiny bit inside, before sliding home. 

It hurt, much more than Kara entering her the first time had, the cutting pain of it so intertwined with pleasure Lena couldn’t separate the two. She allowed herself to hurt and feel it all — she didn’t have much of a choice — the sting subsiding until it wasn’t much of a bother anymore. It didn’t go away completely, but as Kara erupted inside of her with a vulnerable cry, as Lena herself came hard and slack-jawed and crying big tears of relief, it didn’t matter anymore. 

They slumped into one another, rib cages heaving together, fingers entwined and clutching, hands seeking for comfort.

When Kara’s jaws let go, Lena screamed, blood rushing back where the werewolf’s teeth had blocked circulation much too fast. Kisses were feathered over each angry red mark, fingers rubbed the spot where Lena’s heart thundered the fiercest, pressed the stretch of skin above her breast. Kara emptied inside her, so bountiful that some of it spilled out of her cunt despite the knot, and into the bed below. 

That made her giggle for some reason, made Kara’s brows knit, and her eyes burn like molten gold. 

“It’s nothing,” Lena soothed from under her as the aftershocks abated and she found the force to speak. “Just — I think you owe me clean bedsheets, love.” 

Kara sighed, and settled over her like a very warm, very soft blanket. “If you let me do this every rut I’ll buy you the entire store.” 

***

It had taken hours, but Kara’s knot had finally deflated and they’d come unbound. Lena regretted it a bit, but Kara had reassured that she could have it all again when the next full moon came round. Being fucked within an inch of her life once a month sounded like a dream, and in the meantime the was the soreness making her limbs heavy to remind her this was not a dream. 

It had taken some convincing — including Lena sucking Kara off — but the werewolf had agreed to shift back in front of her. The change was rapid, and less terrible than Lena would have thought, but it had sapped Kara of what energy she’d left, and soon enough she’d curled up next to Lena, wet nose pushing into her side. 

She snored a little, paws and tail quavering whilst she dreamt her puppy dreams, tiny huffs and whines breaking the quiet. 

It was peaceful, it felt right, and while she watched the wolf’s soft belly rise and fall, Lena knew, without the shadow of a doubt, that no matter how loud Kara may growl, she’d never,  _ ever  _ blow her house — or her heart — down.

***

Kara moved in to live with her at the tail end of winter. The weather had been bad for a solid week; black clouds, snowstorms, temperatures stuck so firmly below zero Lena had a pipe burst below the kitchen sink. Winter held on by tooth and claw, like it had something to prove, but the morning of Kara’s move dawned blue — and even though it wasn’t warm — not having to deal with a squall certainly helped. 

They agreed it was the choice that made the most sense. For starters, Kara was renting and Lena owned the house, and secondly, the cottage would have been a bit too cramped for two. Besides, Kara already spent most of her free time with Lena already, and as she’d put it one Sunday over breakfast, the werewolf’s wardrobe had already started the migration into her house. “You and the rest of your things may as well follow.” Lena teased gently in what was a very convoluted way of asking Kara to move in. The wolfish grin she’d gotten in return, and the rough fucking that followed atop the kitchen table, had been answer enough.

They had been living together for about a week, Kara making the most of the woodland behind the house, when Mrs. Hendricks showed up at their doorstep, just as they were sitting down to have dinner.

When Lena opened the door, she did so a little warily; nobody in town was openly homophobic as far as she knew, but Midvale was a small rural community, and by now everyone must be caught up on Kara’s move — and on the fact they weren’t just friends boarding together out of loneliness and convenience. 

(there was enough for them to hide without adding their relationship to the list) 

“I’m sorry to bother you at this hour, dear.” In the fading light Lena had not noticed that Mrs. Hendricks was holding a tupperware, but she did now as it was offered to her. “I’ve figured you two could use some homemade pie to celebrate moving in together.” 

Lena could smell it, apple and cinnamon. The container was still a little warm. 

“That… that is very nice of you, Mrs. Hendricks.” Lena felt a little out of sorts. The woman was not exactly a recluse, but she came close, and the neighborhood’s kids avoided playing near her house. She had a reputation for sequestering stray soccer balls, and of handing them back only as deflated carcasses. 

“Would you...uhm… would you like to come inside? I can make some tea.” 

“Oh no dear, don’t bother yourself. I can tell you’re about to get on with your dinner and I wouldn’t want to keep you.” Mrs. Hendricks’s smile was nice, actually, and there was warmth in her tone. Her words were not just of circumstance, Lena realized, and thought that sometimes reputations were not deserved but simply thrust upon one’s shoulders like an unwelcome weight. 

“I’ll let you get back to it then,” Mrs. Hendricks was already retreating down the steps, waving her goodnight. “I hope you don’t mind me saying, dear. I’m really happy that pup found a home with you.” 

And, just as Lena was about to reply that she must be mistaken because they didn’t have a dog, slanting sun rays bathed the woman’s face and her eyes glinted with traces of gold. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Lena and Kara learn more about one another, Kara gets stuck in wolf form.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More werewolf shenanigans.  
> Enjoy.
> 
> \- Dren
> 
> PS: obviously the bit Lena reads at the end isn't mine but the beginning of White Fang which I quoted verbatim for story/dialogue purposes.

When Lena had moved from National City to Midvale, she’d expected it would be jarring. Not just unfamiliar to her, but absolutely  _ foreign _ . 

After all, she could count the amount of times she’d been anywhere rural on the fingers on one hand. And, even then, it had been at the Luthor’s summer house, where they had  _ staff  _ waiting on their every whim.

She’d felt out of sorts for a little while — couple of weeks, in fact — the woods and open spaces, the rolling hills and the quiet alien to her senses. 

Certainly, Lena had gone through a period of acclimation — it helped that the moving and the settling in took up most of her waking hours — but ever so slowly, the feeling of otherness ebbed away. 

Sure, she still found it odd not to have to deal with rush hour traffic on the regular, and the way the night could be so dark and bright at once was sometimes frightening, but before long, she couldn’t imagine herself living anywhere else.

Life in Midvale came with its set of very specific perks as did sharing the bed with a werewolf.

In regards to the latter, the list was very,  _ very  _ long. 

There was the getting fucked out of her mind once a month part, and Kara’s superhuman strength, which greatly helped with the odds and ends that always needed fixing inside of an old house. 

And, even though Kara could eat her way through the fridge fast enough that Lena got second-hand nausea, money was not an issue. 

She’d come to the countryside in search of peace and quiet after selling off her company, but the money she’d made from the transaction (and oculate investments) ensured she’d never have to work another day in her life. Unless she wanted to, of course. 

But, obviously, not everything is perfect, and living alongside myth had its own set of challenges. 

For starters, Kara shed like,  _ a lot _ . 

It wasn’t her fault, really, but Lena had lost count of the number of vacuum cleaners they had gone through in six months. 

“Well, at least I don’t vomit up hairballs the way cats do.” She’d muttered defensively while they were shopping for a replacement to the last brave fallen soldier. “Imagine stepping on one of those first thing in the morning. Now,  _ that  _ would be gross.” 

“Uh-uh.” Lena was only half listening, eyes scanning the price tag of a vacuum cleaner that promised to be  _ the best to clean up after pets _ . 

Then, Kara’s words registered.

“Hang on a minute.” Lena turned to her and lowered her voice to a whisper. “Are you telling me there are werecats?” 

Kara had grinned, but wouldn’t say, one way or the other. 

Other issues included fighting for the cool side of the bed over an abnormally warm summer, and a narrowly averted incident with Larry, the overly territorial pug living down their street, which had the nerve to snarl in Lena’s direction one day at the park. 

“He’s  _ tiny _ , Kara.” Lena had said as they walked home, linking arms with the sullen-looking werewolf at her side. “I’m pretty sure I could have outrun him.”

“Stupid Larry.” Kara grumbled, arm tightening around Lena’s waist. “I could eat the little pest for breakfast. Maybe I will.”

“ _ KARA _ !”

“Ugh, fine.” She rolled her eyes and kicked at a small piece of concrete that had come off the sidewalk. “Bet he doesn’t even taste that good.” 

“I know something that does.” Lena teased, and was instantly rewarded with the most endearing smile. 

So sure, they were still going through an adjustment period — learning one another’s boundaries and habits — but living with Kara was great. Lena started to think moving to Midvale was the best choice of her life. 

Until, one morning, she awoke earlier than usual, a feeling of strangeness dragging her away from the land of her dreams. 

It was barely light enough outside to qualify as dawn, the kind of sludgy greyness that heralded a rainstorm. 

Lena didn’t mind. Perfect weather to laze in bed and cuddle. 

She stretched, burrowing deeper into the nest of warmth the blankets and Kara’s body had created around her. A sluggish smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, but the feeling something wasn’t right clung to her skin, sticky like flypaper. 

Lena refused to open her eyes fully and allow in more than a sliver of daylight because that would mean she was awake, and it had been ingrained into her from a very young age that worthiness was measured in terms of productivity. 

Turning her back to the window, she snuggled into Kara and took in her surroundings through her other senses. There was a chill in the air that hadn’t been there just a week ago, a sharpness to the breeze that blew across her bare legs through the cracked open window. 

Lena shivered, and fumbled for her half of the blanket. It was gone. Vanished.  _ Stolen _ .

Outrage woke her up so effectively, family-driven guilt wished it had the range, and she sat up, gasping at the chill. 

It wasn’t just the blanket. Her entire side of the bed had been stripped  _ bare _ . 

“Kara this is larceny at the very least.” Lena poked the cocoon at her side. “You’ve broken several blanket-sharing laws. I’m afraid that means you’re on breakfast-making duty.” She got no reply, and poked a little harder. “Kara?” 

This time, she was greeted by the tiniest warning growl. Sleepy Kara was always  _ stupidly  _ endearing, but something in the sound made Lena smile a little wider. 

“Wow. Grumpy aren’t we?” Her fingers found a breach in Kara’s blanket fort, and she patted where her girlfriend’s head was supposedly located, meaning to comb a hand through her tousled hair. It felt decidedly coarser to the touch than usual. Bristling almost. 

“Kara, what—” 

A cold nose booped the palm of her hand, the blankets falling partially away to reveal a more than familiar wolf. 

“I can’t believe you.” Ignoring Kara’s offended whine Lena tugged the blankets back on her side of the bed, where they ought to have remained to begin with. “You have fur whose main property is to keep you warm. I was  _ freezing _ .” 

Kara stared at her with eyes that shone like gold coins and slithered closer, belly to the mattress. Trying to dig her way back into Lena’s good graces, or underneath the pile of warm blankets that had just been returned to their rightful owner (her). 

“Oh, now you’re sorry.” Lena said, but there was no real bite behind her words. She was not angry at Kara, and even if she’d been, it was impossible to stay mad at her for long. She was too much of a goofball, even in wolf form.

“Alright, I forgive you.” The wolf’s bushy tail  _ thump-thumped _ against the mattress. “But only if you help me warm up again.” 

The wolf shook herself free of the blanket furrito, massive paws kneading Kara’s pillow, then flopped on top of Lena, head coming to rest on her chest. 

“Better.” Lena rubbed behind Kara’s neck where the fur grew thickest. The rumbling that had begun to shake the wolf from the tip of her ears to her tail-end devolved into a yawn. Warm breath washed over Lena’s face, a little ripe with sleep. (ew.) 

Still, considering how quickly Kara’s solid weight was helping chase the chill away, Lena guessed that could be forgiven. (but she’d make Kara brush her teeth once she returned to her human form, or no kissing.) 

“You dogged a bullet there,” Kara was sniffing at the duvet with interest, but her ears perked up when Lena spoke. “But you’re pawing on thin fucking ice.” 

The wolf rumbled and whipped the enormous head around, jaws delicately closing around the sleeve of Lena’s shirt. Clearly, her canine-related puns were not being appreciated.

Lena barely held back a snort. “Tough crowd.” 

Twisting her fingers in Kara’s thick, honey-colored coat where it curled at her nape, she tugged a little, trying to wriggle free. 

“Come on, let’s get out of bed.” The wolf whined, gangly limbs bracketing Lena’s body in an attempt to keep her trapped. “I’m hungry, and you owe me breakfast for leaving me without blankets.” 

Kara’s expression was as close to pouty as a wolf’s snout could manage, and Lena couldn’t help herself. She reached out with a laugh, and tapped her on the nose. It was wet, and a trifle squishy. 

Kara sneezed, her whole body quivering with it, and when the aftershocks subsided, narrowed her eyes. Her ears flattened, sticking to her skull, and the rumble grew in pitch. To anyone but Lena it would have sounded threatening. Blood-curdling, but she was too accustomed to Kara’s wolfy antics to be overly impressed. 

Daylight helped dispel the illusion of the threat. Lena would never really get used to the sheer  _ size  _ of Kara in wolf form — accentuated by the fluff of her rapidly growing winter coat — but going through a few ruts had rid her of the fear. Kara could be terrifying, but Lena knew she’d never intentionally hurt her.

“What did we say about using our outside voice in the house?” She chastised, scritch-scratching the top of the wolf’s head to lessen the sting of her rebuke. The growling cut short, and Kara blinked, tongue lolling from her open maw as she considered. 

“Exactly.” Lena sat up, taking her silence for assent. “Now hop off and let me get dressed. You should change back, too. So that you can get started on my french toast.” 

With another whine, surely meant to pull at Lena’s heartstrings, Kara complied. She rolled off of her and huffed, spending a few moments belly up, one eye shut, and the other peeking through the fluff to gauge Lena’s reaction.

“Nu-uh. It’s breakfast time. You can have belly rubs later, though. If you behave.” 

Regret washed over her the moment she rolled out of bed. The floorboards were cold under her bare feet, and her toes curled in protest. 

Slippers weren’t really an option. She’d tried, but they always seemed to disappear, only to pop up after some time chewed to kingdom come. 

(when asked about the strange occurrence, Kara pleaded the fifth.)

Shutting the window and putting on a sweatshirt over the short-sleeved shirt she wore to bed improved things a little, as did the old fleece pants she’d “borrowed” from Kara. She loved those, how soft they felt on her bare skin, and Kara must enjoy seeing Lena in her clothing, because while she was very vocal about her favorite hoodies, not a peep had come from her for the pants. 

(she could have sworn as she got dressed that the big bad wolf on the bed was unabashedly checking out her ass.)

Lena turned, expecting to find Kara climbing out of bed, perhaps naked, perhaps trailing the duvet in the bad imitation of a cloak. She had gotten up, but was still a wolf, and when Lena’s eyebrows rose in bewilderment, she only inclined her head, scenting the air. 

“You know, if you don’t want to cook you can just say.” 

Kara  _ woofed _ , not the way a dog does, but deeper. Granular and wild. 

“Okay, okay. I’m making breakfast, I get it.” Lena frowned. “But I’m not sure french toast is suitable for wolves. I could do a quick grocery run and get you kibble?” 

A flash of teeth was all the warning she had before Kara leapt into motion, play-chasing her out of the bedroom. 

Pretending to be scared, Lena skidded all the way down the hall and to the kitchen, where she stopped, a trifle short in the breath department but successfully warmed up. 

Coming into full view of the refrigerator had the effect on Kara that a magnet has on metal. She lost interest in the chase, and padded across the kitchen tile to plop herself down in front of the fridge, head tilted up expectantly. 

“I get it, you’re hungry.” Lena had to walk around the wolf and nudge her gently before she could get the freezer opened. “I think we’ve got some ground beef in here somewhere.” Under several layers of vegan burgers and frozen peas. “Worst case scenario you can have some vegan patties. Unless you shift back? French toast is definitely still on the table, then.” 

Food was the one thing that always worked on Kara. Whether she was being stubborn or upset, or plainly sad, a full belly was a great leveller for trouble. 

For Lena alcohol had been the equalizer. At least until she moved out here and Kara came into her life. 

But Kara didn’t return to her human self. She just stared up at Lena, tail swaying back and forth.

“Kara?” A blade of fear ran Lena through. Doubt infected the wound. “You don’t want to change back, or  _ can’t _ ?” 

The wolf stared at her a moment longer, then averted her eyes.

_ Crap _ .

“Okay.” Her voice came out more shaky than Lena would have liked, but she couldn’t help it. Logic told her that Kara was in no immediate danger (except starvation, maybe), but fear scattered her thoughts like sheep. There simply were too many things about being a werewolf that Lena still ignored — she never pushed for answers even though Kara seemed more than happy to share the knowledge with her — and it all came crashing down around her now. Could Kara get stuck…  _ indefinitely _ ? Was there a time limit after which she would have to shift back, or risk that happening? 

Sensing her distress, the wolf pushed her head against her hand, whining softly. 

“I guess you’re right,” Lena patted her, and the rumbles intensified. They had a calming effect, the vibrations resonating deep within her chest. “Let’s get something to eat, then we’ll figure this out.” 

***

The most absurd thing was that she  _ did  _ end up making french toast, if only to keep herself from spiralling down into panic all over again. 

While that was cooking, Lena dug a mixing bowl out of the cupboard (they didn’t own a dog dish) and spooned the thawed ground beef in there, along with a couple of raw eggs. 

Kara seemed to appreciate, licking the bowl clean before Lena had time to get halfway through her french toast. After, she sat next to Lena’s chair, snout resting on her lap, eyes full of liquid begging meeting hers whenever she happened to look down.

“Ugh, fine.” Lena let a corner of her french toast drop into Kara’s waiting maw. “But that’s all you’re getting.” 

In the end, Kara snarfed down about half, tongue darting out to lick at the drops of maple syrup on Lena’s fingers. 

“You’re  _ impawssible _ , you know that?” Kara’s golden eyes rounded at that, and she huffed, loud enough it echoed round the kitchen. 

“Oh don’t give me any of that crap.” Lena’s eyes rolled so far back they nearly fell inside her skull. “Come on, if you’re going to be eating food at the current rate we need to stock up and I can’t go grocery shopping dressed like this.”

Kara huffed again, quieter this time, as though meaning to suggest that  _ yes, Lena could go out like that if she wanted _ . The sound combined with what could only be defined as a wolfish grin made her chuckle. 

“Enough, you flatterer.” She stood and Kara pushed up on her hind legs, following back to the bedroom. “You’re still in trouble for blanket theft.” 

***

Grocery shopping posed its own set of challenges. 

“You can’t come, Kara.” Lena said for the uptenth time, watching the wolf try to wedge her huge body between her and the door that led to the garage. “You’re a  _ wolf _ . People will notice.”

Kara, who was standing on her hind legs to paw at the closed door, paused mid-scratch and gave her a  _ look _ .

“What?” It felt silly to be talking to her, since she could not reply, but for somebody currently stuck in animal form she was being very communicative. “You want me to put you on the leash we got last month?” 

The object in question, complete with a bright yellow reflective harness hung on the coat rack by the garage door. The purchase had been Kara’s suggestion, so that if they came across people while trekking together through the woods she could pose as a dog to avoid suspicion. 

But pretending to be a dog for a few minutes was one thing, and heading into town on a busy Thursday morning something different altogether. 

Taking advantage of her indecision, Kara pulled the harness off its hook and dragged it over. 

“Okay.” Lena crouched down to fasten it, and got her face enthusiastically licked for her trouble. “But no funny stuff. And no  _ eating _ other dogs, understood?”

The cold tip of the wolf’s nose skidded along the inside of her wrist and it was as though she’d spoken the words out loud.

_ Not even Larry? _

***

They were stopped in the supermarket’s parking lot, and Lena wanted to groan. Everyone in Midvale had been invaded by the urge to go food shopping at the same time as them, it seemed.

“So, just to be clear, you’re a czechoslovakian wolfdog.” She recapped. The breed was new and rare enough she wasn’t likely to be questioned. People would rather nod along and pretend they knew what she was talking about than admit ignorance. “Your name is Poppet.” 

An unhappy whimper greeted her name choice. 

“ _ Poppet _ .” 

Kara grumbled, her barrel-like chest shaking with barely contained growls. Lena ignored her.

“We need a name that’s as non-threatening as possible. Walking you around is risky enough without calling you Bonecrusher or something like that.” 

Kara thrust her head between the front seats, whuffing close to her neck. 

“Okay,  _ Poppet _ .” Lena smiled, planting a kiss between her ears. The fur was short and bristly there. Tickled her nose. “Let’s go. The sooner we stock up on food, the sooner we can concentrate on getting you back to your human form.”

***

_ Dogs not allowed _ .

Lena stared stolidly at the sign, like she couldn’t quite read what it said.

“Well, fuck. That’s new.” She muttered under her breath, looking for something sturdy she could fasten Kara’s leash to. “Wonder what happened to warrant the policy change.” 

Kara tugged at the leash, hard enough it burned against the soft skin of Lena’s palm. Hard enough to make her lose her balance. 

“Hey!” 

But it was too late. Kara had approached the sidewalk sign, and after scenting it once, squatted down next to it and peed. 

“ _ Kara _ !” Lena hissed, low and urgent, cheeks burning. “Stop that!” She yanked at the leash, with little results. 

“Excuse me Miss.” A teen wearing the supermarket’s uniform had walked up to her, but Lena had been so focused on Kara she hadn’t noticed. She did now, and jumped. 

“Oh my God, I’m mortified.” She gestured to Kara, who act of protest carried through, padded to her side and plopped down on the pavement, the very picture of obedience. “She never— If you can get me a mop, I’ll clean up.” 

“Oh no,” the teen was eyeing Kara carefully, hands thrust into the front pockets of their slacks. They looked like they were  _ dying  _ to pet her. “I wanted to suggest you tie her up there.” They pointed to a spot past the carts, well out of the way of the main entrance. “I can keep an eye on her? I do that for people that come shopping and have to leave the dog out. It’s no biggie, really. And I got a dog bowl I can fill up for her?” 

“That’s very sweet.” Kara seemed to agree; her tail was wagging rapidly, a honey-colored blur too fast to follow. “What’s with the policy change by the way?” 

“Oh,  _ that _ .” They lowered their voice, shooting a careful glance over one shoulder. “Mr. Lord bought out several supermarkets along the coast. To  _ consolidate _ , HR said.” The teen stumbled on the word, smacking their lips as if it had left a bad taste on their tongue. Lena wholeheartedly agreed. Consolidating businesses was often jargon for layoffs. And Maxwell Lord was infamous for cutting resources to the bone in name of profit. 

Something in her demeanor must be giving off unease, because Kara brushed against her side, headbutting her thigh gently. 

“It’s okay.” While the teen — the name tag, framed in pink, white and light blue read Jordan — was filling up a water dish, Lena knelt down to secure the leash. “I’m just gonna be a minute, and Jordan here—” the teen beamed. “will take good care of you.” Kara looked up at Jordan with serious eyes, then extended a paw. 

“Oh. Um, can I?” Jordan reached out, letting Kara sniff at their hand.

“Yes. Poppet is big, but she’s a sweetheart. Aren’t you?” Lena cooed, knowing full well Kara would make her pay once she could shift back. “A big floofy floof.” 

Ear scritches must act as a balm for Kara’s wounded pride, because she deliberately ignored Lena’s teasing to rub against Jordan’s leg. 

Yes, Lena thought with a small smile, Kara was in good hands. 

***

The supermarket was packed, and it took her longer than the minute she’d promised, but Lena eventually emerged, pushing a cart stacked so high with groceries, the metal frame groaned under the weight. 

Her satisfaction evaporated the moment she went back to Kara, finding that her furry nemesis — Larry the pug — had joined her in the dog-parking area. It was a miracle she’d not done much more than growl his way, as Jordan was quick to reassure her, waving her over. The pug, either too stupid to understand size difference or suicidal, was barking up a storm, jumping up and down on stumpy legs in an attempt to look imposing. 

“Do you need help with loading your groceries?” Jordan inquired, evidently eager to get away from the miniature bark-storm. “I mean it’s a lot and…” 

“Thank you, yes.” Lena held Kara’s yellow gaze a moment longer than was necessary, before unfastening the leash with exaggerated care. “I’m glad you didn’t eat Larry.” She whispered in her ear, feeling it twitch against her lips. “Keep it up a little longer, please.” 

Kara obeyed, but gave Larry the kind of parting look that spoke of murder done in shadowy corners. 

Food down, Lena pushed her cheeks out in relief. A wolf-shaped puzzle still to solve.

***

“We know you turn once a month for your ruts and can’t really control that.” Lena surmised later that day, sat on the couch with her laptop open on a spreadsheet. That was another coping mechanism of hers, healthier but less enjoyable than alcohol. The glass of cabernet she’d poured out remained untouched on the coffee table. She’d been too engrossed in research to take even a sip. 

“And you told me you can shift at will, but that it leaves you exhausted.” Lena continued, eyes flicking from the laptop’s screen to Kara. 

The wolf was curled into a perfect circle in front of the fireplace, a bone held between her front paws. As Lena watched, she finally broke into it, licking at the marrow within with relish. 

“Is this the first time you get...stuck?” That was, for lack of a better term, how she’d decided to label Kara’s current state. There was another loud  _ cronch _ , and Kara half-rose only to flop back down hard, part of the bone dangling from her maw. Lena filed the gesture as the wolf equivalent of a shrug. 

“You’re not really helping, you know?” Lena set her computer to the side and grabbed the glass. A headache was starting up behind her eyes, rusty spikes digging into her temples. “I just—” She gulped the wine down, hoping it would drown her worry. 

Fear, it was said, was the relinquishment of logic, the abandonment of predictable patterns. One could give into it, or resist, but meeting it halfway was a sure recipe for disaster. Glancing back at her spreadsheet, Lena thought she understood. Logically, there must exist a solution to their problem, but blinded by fear, she was incapable of seeing it. A middle ground between the two seemed impossible right then.

All of a sudden, a warm fluffy weight was bearing down on her, couch creacking in protest. 

“ _ WHOA _ .” Lena hadn’t really seen Kara move, but her body had perceived it on the subatomic level that warned the caveman there were dangerous beasts roaming the night beyond the light cast by the fire, because she lifted the half-full glass of wine out of the way just in time to avoid a cabernet shower. 

“Easy there,” she breathed out, the words squished out of her by Kara’s large paws. “ _ Easy _ .” 

The wolf cuddled closer, smelling of wilderness and the pine logs that had been burning in the fireplace. The flame’s residual warmth was caught in Kara’s fur, and as she settled firmly into Lena’s lap, the heat spread to her limbs. 

The wolf’s big head found a resting place on Lena’s shoulder, nose bumping the shell of Lena’s ear, as she rumbled into it. As though she’d leapt up in the sky and bitten into thunder, to bring it back and speak of it in Lena’s ear. 

She wasn’t sure why, but something snapped loose inside her chest, big tears streaming down her cheeks and getting lost in Kara’s pelt. 

“I’m sorry.” Lena sniffed, rubbing at her eyes with the edge of a sleeve. “I don’t know what’s gotten into me.” 

Kara’s rough tongue licked at her cheeks, the rumbling increasing until Lena was sure the entire house would start to shake with it. It soothed like the lullabies her nanny used to sing to her when she couldn’t fall asleep.

“Guess all of my anxiety spilled out.” A little spill. She’d gotten that from her nanny too. Whenever Lena cried — something that was scarcely tolerated in the Luthor household — her nanny would wipe away her tears and reassure her it was normal for emotions to spill over like that. 

_ People work the same way glasses do, _ she’d told Lena over and over until it stuck,  _ and you can fill them up only so much before the excess sloshes over the rim. _

“I’m scared you won’t be able to shift back,” Lena confessed, wondering why her throat felt like it was bleeding. “Not that I love you any less as a wolf.” She hastened to add. “Just—” Her voice quivered and she inhaled, pushed down the sobs trying to force their way out of her mouth.

Kara didn’t let her finish. She bolted from the couch, paws hitting the hardwood floor and skidding out from underneath her, with the result she slid across the living room on her furry behind, rather than leaping elegantly across it the way she’d surely intended.

The wolf came to a stop in front of their well-stocked bookshelves, tapping at a book spine with her paw before throwing a pleading look to Lena. 

“What? You want me to read to you? Kara, I think we have more important—” They did that often; Kara insisted she liked the sound of Lena’s voice when she read out loud. It didn’t matter whether it was a paper on quantum physics or the latest New York Times bestseller — Kara maintained she would listen to Lena reading the weather forecast. She  _ had _ . 

Her train of thought was derailed by an insistent howl, and with a tired sigh she acquiesced. 

It was getting dark anyhow, and she doubted the mystery of Kara’s affliction would be solved that night. 

(world hunger had a better chance, honestly.) 

“Alright, alright.” Lena threw her hands up in surrender. “Pick a book and I’ll read a few chapters to you before I get started on dinner.” 

She watched on in amusement as Kara sat in front of the bookshelf, head tilted to the side, tails swishing back and forth while she stared at the titles of the books like she could read them (because she could, duh.) 

After a couple minutes of careful study, the wolf gently caught the corner of a book between sharp teeth, tugging it off the shelf and to the ground, where it fell with a thump.

“Let’s see what you— oh you gotta be kidding me, Kara.” But the wolf had clambered back on the couch already, and stared her way impatiently, ears moving this way and that whenever an owl hooted outside. 

“Okay, we can read  _ White Fang, _ ” as soon as she sat back down, Kara sprawled on her lap again. “but I’m picking the book next time.” 

“ _ Dark spruce forest frowned on either side of the frozen waterway _ —” Lena began, with Kara’s low snuffing for a background, “ _ The trees had been stripped by a recent wind of their white covering of frost, and _ —” 

— And as silence fell steady against the walls of their cottage, she got lost in the story for a time, the wolf on the page blending with the one that stood guard by her side. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looking for things to do as we slip into lockdown hell part two? Want more smut? Follow the link [on Tumblr](https://kendrene.tumblr.com/) for more gay nonsense!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara is still stuck in wolf form and Lena seeks help

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're back with more werewolf au! 
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> \- Dren

Lena didn’t know whether it was the cabernet or the warmth of Kara’s fur, but she nodded off mid-page, head drooping to the side. 

She came to with a start sometime later, body wracked by shivers. 

The book, which had fallen from her grasp, tumbled to the ground, and it was the thud of the leatherbound spine hitting the floorboards that shook her into awareness more than the chill. 

The realization that Kara was gone and the fire had died came next, a one-two uppercut that winded her and propelled her into motion simultaneously. 

Outside, night had well and truly fallen, only a sliver of moon hanging above the trees. It was waning, close to nonexistent, and the light it gave off barely qualified as light at all. An afterglow of the moon that had been, and wouldn’t brighten the night sky for another month. 

“Kara?” Lena called, knowing she would get no answer. Still, she had to try. “Kara, where are you?” 

Nothing.

She stood, wincing as blood rushed back to her legs too fast, and hobbled to the fireplace. 

Before she went looking for the wolf, it would be wise to bank the coals. Both for her sake and for that of the house, which Lena preferred standing and not burned to a crisp. The pine logs she’d thrown in the hearth earlier in the afternoon had burned down completely, leaving smears of grey-white ash on the stones of the fireplace, and a smattering of coals. Those still pulsed a lovely cherry red, and Lena carefully scooped the ashes over them, so that the fire could be quickly rekindled upon their return.

With that done, she did a quick tour of the cottage, just to make sure Kara hadn’t decided to raid the fridge or curl up under the blankets in the bedroom, and discovered in short order that: 

  * The fridge hadn’t been raided, but the cupboard where they kept their shared candy supply was open, and its contents had been wiped clean. 
  * The trail of empty wrappers led toward the back door. (that they left unlocked, like everyone else in Midvale)
  * Said backdoor had been _pawed_ open all the way, allowing the night and the autumnal chill inside. (plus a pile of leaves, carried in by a naughty draft)



Grabbing a jacket from the rack next to the door and the flashlight she kept there for emergencies (storms were a regular occurrence and they found themselves without power often) Lena, stomped her feet into the mud spattered boots she used to walk the trails around town and headed outside.

As it bordered with the woods, the dense vegetation affording them all the privacy they may desire, they hadn’t bothered fencing the backyard in. Animals, perhaps scenting Kara’s wolf-smell, knew to give it a wide berth — well, except for crows.

But crows apparently considered themselves too superior to wolves to be fussed by them. It mustn’t hurt that they had wings, with which to fly away despite all of Kara’s wolfish efforts. 

It was colder than she’d expected, autumn slowly but surely ebbing away into winter. Already a thin layer of frost crackled under her boots, and fog wisped up from the ground, shining silver in the beam cast by her flashlight.

Lena zipped the jacket up with trembling fingers, the heat nearly  _ misting  _ off of her body. The wind and the damp chill drained her of it as though she had gone out in the night naked, and it wasn’t long before the only thing Lena had to keep her warm was the fond memory of Kara’s wolfish form sheltering hers. 

She had taken only a handful of steps into the backyard, and already longed to retreat the way she’d come and fix herself some tea. One of the lighter varieties even Kara, who much preferred a cup of overly-sweet hot cocoa, had come to appreciate.

But she couldn’t. Even as she stood there, toeing the line that separated the safety and light of the cottage from the unknowns of the forest, Lena had kept panning the flashlight back and forth across the muddy ground. There were paw prints in the soft soil, and tufts of browning grass had been kicked up where Kara’s claws dug deeper propelling her forward. The traces led, straight as an arrow, into the woods. 

With a defeated sigh, Lena ventured on, switching the flashlight to its brightest setting, The batteries were new, so she wasn’t worried about them running out on her. Besides, she intended to keep to the paths that had become so familiar her feet could find them even at night. 

Even in the absolute dark. 

The trees closed around her quickly, crowding in as soon as she set foot among them. Lena’s mouth quirked into a smile. She still remembered how the dark, encroaching silhouettes scared her, during her first few nights in the cottage. White-knuckled, she would lie utterly still under the blankets, spine tightening with every rustle, each animal call. 

Kara had changed her relationship with nature too. 

She was more attuned to it now, and while the forest had a character, a  _ will  _ of its own that manifested in how green things could grow in the most intractable places, it had ceased to evoke fear. 

Respect, yes, and care, but not the abject terror that had rooted her to the bed so many moons ago. 

Overhead, the sky was a black strip framed by the treetops and the shadows living under the trees soaked up the beam of her flashlight. It was slow going, but Lena had learned to navigate along the gnarliest roots instead of clambering gracelessly over them, flowing across the uneven terrain the way Kara had taught her. It took every ounce of concentration, but at the same time the quiet helped expand her mind. Her senses. 

She was aware of the pines bowing slightly to every gust of wind, and of the nocturnal animals watching her walk by from the sanctity of their burrows, with eyes that shone faint green or yellow-red. 

Kara’s scent drifted to her nose long before she heard her, twigs and hardy ferns crackling as she darted through the underbrush. 

The wolf smelled of the things that grew where rainwater gathered and the sun never shone. An earthly scent, damp and muddy but not unpleasant. When she leapt out in front of Lena, an enormous stick held between her jaws, she understood why.

“Did we go for a swim?” 

Unimpressed, Lena stared, hands on her hips. Kara dragged her treasure forward, and in the unwavering light of the torch its true dimensions were revealed.

Not just any stick, the kind Lena gathered a few times per week and fed into the fire.

A whole branch, with orange-yellow leaves still attached in places. It was as thick as Lena’s thigh at the root, and would be her height if stood on end. 

“Well?” Lena quirked an eyebrow. “Look at the state of you.” 

Kara howled then, feral and full-chested. So loud Lena flinched back a touch, not in fright, but to protect her ears. It was unbridled, how she allowed herself to get when in the forest. Lena would never really understand what it felt like to be forced to blend in and walk when all you wanted to do was run wild, but in the months she’d spent in Midvale she’d come to feel the powerful tug of the wilderness too. 

Every human had the capacity for it, to hear and heed the call if they so chose. Wander the shadowy, rugged glades where snow persisted each spring long after it had melted away everywhere else. Listen to the muted sound of footsteps on the thick carpet of leaves when trees divested of their foliage in the fall. 

The forest sang louder at night, when the sound of cars died down, and people went inside for supper. 

But the world had changed, was changing still. Humans, much like Lena when she’d first moved out here, had forgotten what true darkness was. The consistency it acquired when there were no streetlights to corral it conveniently. People had caged themselves too, mistaking it for freedom, their picket fences made of cable and pay per view tv. 

She counted herself lucky she had relearned to listen if the woodland called, even though she understood but a few notes. 

Kara pushed the branch closer to her, tail wagging expectantly, and Lena pulled herself back to the present. 

“I’m afraid that’s too big a stick to play fetch.” She commented, eliciting a huff. “But you can drag it all the way home for the fireplace.” 

The echoes of the howl had died down, and the night was quiet again, the animals Lena was sure were hidden all around them sitting still as to not attract the attention of the apex predator among them. 

“Come on.” She gestured with the flashlight, illuminating the way she’d come. “I want some dinner, and you need a bath.”

Dead leaves whispered under her feet as she began to walk back, her toes cold from having stood in the same place for too long without moving. They’d be kissing goodbye to fair weather sooner than Lena would have liked, and the crispness of the air buffeting her cheek served to remind her as much. She tucked her face into the collar of the jacket, seeking to protect it from the wind.

It was just as well. Easier to smother the laugh that was trying to babble out of her. Kara had followed in her footsteps without further prompting, but made sure to let Lena know exactly what her thoughts were in regards to the bath. 

Who would have thought a wolf could be that talkative. 

They were in view of the cottage when a chorus of howls shattered the silence again.

It must be the local pack, but it was strange to hear them so near. They never strayed this side of the hills when Kara prowled the forest in her animal form, in natural deference to their bigger, meaner cousin. 

The pack howled again, closer still, and Kara dropped the branch she’d been tugging along, whirling back to face the woods. Her fangs flashed white in the murkiness.

“It’s regular wolves, darling.” Lena twined long fingers into the thick fur at the back of Kara’s neck, stroking and rubbing soothingly. “Just regular wolves.”

Yet, as she marshalled the werewolf inside — branch, mud and all — she couldn’t help but think that the spruce were darkly frowning, just like in Jack London’s novel. 

And the wolves — the wolves wouldn’t stop calling.

***

“I should have you microchipped.” Lena muttered as she plucked another clump of half dried mud off of Kara’s matted fur. 

If all of it were dry things would be easier, but no, Kara had messed herself up in style. First a swim in the lake, so that all manner of reeds could get caught in her rich coat. Then a roll in the mud for good measure, to cement it all together. 

A work of art. Truly. 

“I’m serious.” She went on, carding her fingers through the longer fur of Kara’s underbelly. More partly crusted mud rained on the old towel she’d laid out on the bathroom floor, and although Kara’s pelt wouldn’t be lustrous until she washed the rest of the dirt off her, at least there  _ was  _ a wolf under all that gunk. 

Lena had started to worry. And that was not the only reason.

“Really, Kara. Would you mind waking me first, next time you go for a run? When I found you gone I—” 

She paused and wiped the back of her hand across her forehead. Her sleeves were rolled up past the elbows to try and keep mud off her woolen sweater, but even so specks of dirt and leaves had nestled there. More grime caked her cheeks, which Kara had tried to lick clean a few times with very mixed results. 

“Please?” 

Lena let her hands fall to either side of her, the threadbare fabric of the towel scratching her palms. 

Annoyance and concern blended inside her, to the point it was hard to distinguish where one ended and the other began. The fear that had invaded her upon finding Kara gone was still fresh, her skin sticky with traces of the cold, rancid sweat it had brought. Adrenaline had pushed it back, consumed it and burned it like fuel to power Lena in the search, but now that Kara was safe (if dirty), the worry that had accompanied her all day caught up to her.

Sniffing her discomfort, Kara pushed her nose against Lena’s cheek and whined apologetically.

“Yes, I know you didn’t do it on purpose.” Lena climbed to her feet with a tired groan, fatigue heavy on her shoulders. “Get in the tub. I’m gonna wash the rest of the mud off you.” She’d combed all she could from Kara’s fur; shampoo and hot water would take care of the rest. 

“You’re going to end up smelling of lavender.” Lena shucked off her sweater to avoid dirtying it further, and grabbed an unopened flagon of shampoo. “Which I know isn’t a very wolf-like fragrance but it’s all we have in the house.” 

She half-expected Kara to whine some more about getting bathed, but when she turned, arms full of supplies, the wolf had obediently clambered into the tub and was waiting for her, head lowered and eyes sad. 

“Kara I’m not angry.” Curbing her apprehension for the werewolf's sake wasn’t easy, but Lena did it anyway and was repaid when Kara’s bushy tail beat a happier rhythm against the side of the tub. 

The massive, mud spattered head tilted to the side, and Kara stared at her for a long moment, pink tongue lolling out from between her fangs. The  _ thwap-thwap _ of her tail may spell relief, but Lena could see fear well up in her gold eyes. 

“I’m not.” She insisted, pushing out a smile. It was wavering and not as bright as she would have liked, but it seemed to help a little. 

While Kara sat on the far end of the tub, away from the faucet, Lena turned the water on. 

The hot water heater came alive with a rattle of old metal, and it took a few minutes for the water temperature to climb from teeth-rattling cold to pleasant. They had talked about replacing it all summer long, but other things that needed fixing had taken precedence and now they were stuck with the relic for another winter. 

Eventually, steam started to fog up the air, condensation falling across the bathroom mirror. Lena hadn’t realized how cold the trek outside had left her until the chill gradually lifted from her bones. She was tempted to undress and jump into the tub with Kara, but seeing the water turn a brackish brown as it sluiced off of the wolf’s pelt, she reconsidered. 

Later, though. A hot shower would be nice.

The first rinse took care of most of the clotted mud she’d failed to pick from Kara’s fur, and once she was satisfied with the result, Lena shut the water off and lathered her hands with shampoo.

There was a  _ lot  _ of wolf to soap up, but Kara submitted herself to the slow process without complaint, lifting each paw so that Lena could clean under them as well.

“Good wolf,” she praised halfway through, getting her face licked in response. A mouthful of soap too. “Wait, I retract that statement.” Lavender smelled nice, but it tasted  _ foul _ . 

By the time Kara was in an acceptable state of cleanliness again, Lena was soaked through. Yes, she would have to take a shower soon, or at least change into a set of dry clothes to avoid catching a cold. 

As though on cue, she sneezed.

Great.

“Alright, out you come.” She switched the mud covered towel for a clean one, and held it open so that Kara could jump right into it. Which she did, with so much eagerness Lena was knocked flat on her ass. 

“Wow, someone is in a cuddly mood uh?” She teased, wrapping the towel around the wolf so that it would soak up the excess water. “Why don’t you lay here a bit while I take a shower too.” Kara nuzzled into her enthusiastically, and she laughed running her fingers through the short fluff on top of the wolf’s head. “I’m sure you’ll enjoy the show.” 

The tub was in a better state than what she’d imagined, and in a matter of minutes she’d rid it of the few stray clumps of fur at the bottom and hosed it down. 

Had Kara been in human form, Lena would have indulged in a long soak — the tight muscles of her back begged for it — but she didn’t want to leave the wolf to her own devices for too long.

Right now, Kara appeared to be napping, only her muzzle and the tip of her ears peeking out from the towel she was swaddled in, but that could change quickly.

The full moon being a month away was a small mercy. Kara grew restless then, and too excitable to easily contain. 

Lena undressed quickly, shivering a little. Her water-spattered clothes ended up in the dirty laundry basket, and she stepped under the jet of water with a sigh. The boiler had fully kicked in, and the heat was almost unbearable on her skin, but she forced herself to stay under the scalding waterfall, spine bowed. Slowly, the heat sunk deeper into her, past her skin to spread like butter along her bones. Aches were dulled, and while she was still tired after she was done, Lena could power through a few more hours. Get them both something to eat and then curl up for a well-earned night of rest. 

***

Dinner was simple. Grilled cheese and some pre-made tomato soup for Lena, and chopped liver for Kara. While she cooked for herself and set the usual mixing bowl out with the raw meat, the wolf acted as her second shadow, brushing against her thigh the way a cat would. Like she understood her desire for closeness, just by meeting Lena’s mossy green eyes with her own.

About an hour later, she was back on the couch, Kara curled up sleepily at her feet. Firelight threw the living room into a cozy atmosphere, the crackling of the flames a merry counterpart to the wind whistling against the window panes.

Lena had been liberal with the wood, stoking the fire hotter than she normally would. They needed all the warmth and all the light that they could get in her opinion, and Kara seemingly agreed. 

She’d stretched next to the fire for a while, what dampness was still trapped in her fur evaporating with a hiss. Then, once she was sufficiently toasty, she’d plopped herself down at Lena’s feet, offering both warmth and comfort. 

Lena felt more grounded than she had since discovering the wolf in her bed that morning. Steady enough that she put the mug of tea she had been nursing but not yet sipped from — a green tea smelling of summer grass and wheat she’d had imported from Anhui — aside to softly call.

“Kara?” 

The wolf took a few long moments to respond, but finally lifted her head, opening one eye in silent questioning. 

“I meant to ask… Have you attempted shifting back? And if not, would you feel up to trying?” 

Kara pushed up on her front paws, head bobbing to the side and ears twitching as she considered. Lena waited. The silence grew  _ loud _ , taut. In the hearth, a log popped, orange-gold sparks flying up into the chimney, but Lena scarcely heard it. 

A buzzing had started at the base of her skull, and the air tasted metallic. Lena remembered a similar occurrence from the summer. A storm had rolled over Midvale without warning, the sky going from deep blue to gunmetal grey in a matter of minutes. There had been thunder and rain had whipped the ground so fiercely they found grooves in the soft soil of the backyard after the downpour. And then, lightning had forked the sky, saturating the air with the same stench of ozone that filled her nostrils now. One of the oaks that shadowed the bend at the end of their road had exploded into deadly shards of wood, and it was a miracle nobody was injured.

Lena had tasted power then, the raw force of nature. She did now, too, and watched — at once spellbound and afraid of what she’d asked Kara to do — the wolf arching up unnaturally on the rug. Her pelt rippled and she shook, violent spasms that had her dig her claws into the carpet, tearing it into long strips. For an instant her eyes changed from gold to human blue, a curious glint lightening their depths to ice, but almost immediately after she collapsed, entirely nerveless. 

“Kara!” 

Lena bounded to her feet, only to kneel next to the wolf’s prone form. Kara’s side heaved laboriously, and a pink foam had gathered at the corners of her mouth, drooling onto the floorboards.

“Kara?” This was too similar to their first encounter, except that this time Lena didn’t know what to do. “Kara, God. I’m so sorry. I had no idea—” 

A weak noise came from the wolf. It was a muted growl of pain that sounded surprisingly human. 

“Okay.” Lena cast around for something that would help, and her eyes settled on the hand-knit blanket they snuggled under on colder nights when they wanted to watch a movie and cuddle. 

She tugged it from its spot on the back of the couch and placed it over Kara, making sure she was mostly covered before hurrying to the kitchen. There she filled a tupperware with water, and grabbed a clean cloth to wipe Kara’s muzzle with. 

Back into the living room, she found Kara more alert. She’d curled up under the blanket, but her eyes were open and the rise and fall of her back seemed easier, if still too fast for Lena’s liking. The wolf had lapped most of the foam away already, but didn’t resist when Lena cupped a hand under her muzzle, holding her still to wipe away the rest. 

What remained of the water, she set in front of Kara, shoulders slumping in relief when the wolf drank most of it up.

“I won’t ask again.” She promised, battling back tears. “Promise.” 

Kara whuffed, and carefully fit her head under Lena’s head, begging for scritches. 

They stayed that way, with Lena’s hands nearly lost in the wolf’s auburn fur, for most of the night. 

*** 

They slipped into a new routine without realizing. 

In the morning they’d take long walks into the wilderness, Kara guiding her to places Lena would have never managed to reach alone without getting lost. In following the wolf, she discovered breathtaking vistas, and hidden ponds, the water so clear she could see all the way to the bottom. 

Sometimes, Kara would leave her side to hunt, returning with her pelt bloodied and a hare or other small game held between her fangs. Food for them to share next to the fire, when they returned home, cold from a long trek through the woods. 

Their evenings were spent in front of the fire. Lena read through  _ White Fang _ and Kara, true to her word, let her pick their next read. 

It was a quiet week, idyllic almost, but in the wee hours of the morning Lena would lie awake, eyes trained to the ceiling without seeing and mind a hundred miles away. She knew they could not go on that way, and ten days after she’d woken to find that Kara had shifted next to her, she slipped out of bed when the sky was no more than hinting at the new day.

It wasn’t hard to dress in the near dark. 

Harder to navigate the hall, remembering which floorboards creaked and which didn’t. 

Lena managed, and just as the sky was paling enough for her to see the dark tops of the pine trees reaching for the last few stars, she snuck out of the house. 

The temperature had lowered further, and all of the trees that weren’t evergreen had lost their leaves. Frost whitened the well tended front yards she walked by, and the curb itself was slippery with it in places. 

The fog which had wrapped around the small town earlier that month, rolling in from the open fields overnight and lifting only around noon was gone, replaced by a strange crispiness. 

The air was clearer than spun glass — brittle, and the edge of it, caught between her teeth tasted of snow.

Lena walked slowly, using the time to think things through. She wasn’t sure she’d taken the right decision, but worry had devolved into desperation. It was a risk, if she were wrong, but she didn’t know what else to do. 

It took her twice as long as it normally would to reach Mrs. Hendrick’s house. So long that the sky above her head had the time to bleed to the tenuous, uniform grey that threatened rain. Or their first snowfall of the season, if the chill worming under her clothing was any indication. 

At the door she paused, one hand raised in the act of knocking. What if the gleam of gold she’d seen in the woman’s irises that one time had been nothing more unusual than sunlight reflecting in her eyes? She’d give away Kara’s secret. At best, she’d be taken for a lunatic. At worst they’d have to move. 

She’d taken a step back, ready to head back home and discard her plan as foolish when the door opened. 

“I thought it was a familiar face.” It was early, but Mrs. Hendricks was already dressed, as if she’d known she would have visitors. But that was foolish, Lena’s worry-fed paranoia getting the best of her. The woman couldn’t possibly have known. 

“I’m sorry,” she began, not really knowing how to go on asking her if she were a werewolf too. Was there a way to ask that to a person, really? Something along the lines of — hey, do you perchance turn furry once a month? “I know it’s early… but.” Mrs. Hendricks inclined her head, an intrigued expression on her face. She hadn’t shut the door in Lena’s face, which she guessed was a good sign. “I think I need your help. We. We need your help.” 

“Is that so?” Lena had anticipated the woman’s eyes would be heavy with sleep, but the look she received was sharp enough to cut, and wholly alert. “Well, in that case you best come inside, don’t you think?”

She retreated down the hall and paused, waiting for Lena to follow. Which she did, feeling like she was stepping into a den, more than a house.

“By the way,” Mrs. Hendricks picked up as she led Lena into her kitchen, where a kettle was whistling shrilly on the stove. “If I am to help you, I’d rather do so on a first name basis. You can call me Cat.”

She smiled thinly, with the face of one who’s about to deliver the punchline to a joke. Knowing she was to be the butt of this one, Lena stared, a soft exhale leaving her lips when Mrs. Hendrick’s — Cat’s — eyes burned yellow. 

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looking for things to do as we slip into lockdown you want to get out of it but can't? Want more smut? 
> 
> Follow the link [on Tumblr](https://kendrene.tumblr.com/) for more gay shenanigans!

**Author's Note:**

> [join me on Tumblr](https://kendrene.tumblr.com/) for more gay nonsense!


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